600 Seeds
by The Eloquent Quill
Summary: ON HOLD.
1. Chapter 1

Her hands were cold and still. They rested beneath her bosom- a bosom that was unmoving and exposed. A dark sheet was lifted up, to cover the sweet form of her nakedness, and her eyes that were forever closed. It was lifted, but not set down. I paused, and looked down upon the sleeping beauty. Her lips were slightly parted, stained with the nectar from the seeds of the pomegranate. 600 seeds, to be exact. For that was what the potion called for, 600 seeds or one entire pomegranate. That was the cost of a slice of heaven.

And how did heaven taste? Like golden honey, sweet and pure. The innocence stirred a fire that thudded through my veins. Begging me for another bite, and another. My fingers twitched, and ached as I clasped the sheet tightly. I was hesitant to put such beauty to rest. It was hard for me, I'll readily admit, to even pluck such a divine specimen. But it was unavoidable. I knew, all those months ago, that no matter what happened, I had to have her. To call her mine, to leave my mark upon her so as no other could touch her. And that is what I did.

It was a Tuesday, that I remember clearly. For I have counted each Tuesday since then- counting down until the decision would be made. 52 Tuesdays have passed by, slowly. Almost in full agony have I waited in the shadows. Waiting for the day when I would be able to claim her completely, to make the final step. The step that would ensure no other would even be allowed to glimpse the beauty and exquisiteness that was Hermione Granger.

But that is all beside the point, I am trying to tell you about that day, but my mind is running wild with thoughts of her. Her smooth, pale skin shivering beneath me. Her eyes alight with the fire that matched her passion as a student, when I told her of my plans. The smell of her blood as I first entered her. Her gooseflesh as I came up behind her and shifted her hair. The moment she finally started to warm to me. All of it, beautiful. All of it, mine.

That day she was walking out of a Muggle bookstore that I have forgotten the name of. It surprised me greatly to see her in America. I had thought when I went to America that I would never have to deal with my past life. Never have to see all of the accusing eyes, and hear the angry curses. When I left the land I loved to start anew, I never thought I would see her again.

She seemed as lost and confused as I, upon seeing a familiar face. Familiar, but not welcome. I saw her empty hand shift towards her left pocket, and knew that she stored her wand there. But she was not foolish enough to draw it in such an open, and Muggle place. I raised an eyebrow, and nodded my head at her. She squinted her eyes, and then dipped her head in return.

In that moment, I saw something that I had never really paused to notice before. It was insignificant, or would have been to anyone else, but it captivated me nonetheless. Dimples. Or dimple, I should say. When she lifted the right side of her mouth, a small dimple formed in her cheek. It was startling, really. I had never thought of her as a human being. Only a bush with teeth and an overly large brain. But as I watched her walk away, I knew. I knew that I would have her. Have my own slice of heaven.

--

_Written in response to my own challenge on my LIVEJOURNAL! Speaking of which, if you want faster updates check that, if you want chapters that not everyone else can see, check that. Cause if you befriend me on there, I promise there are extra chapters, and other little bonuses that only friends can see. :D I hope you liked it so far. More chapters to come…. _

_Review if you dare. _

_Eloquence _


	2. Books

I watched her walk down the busy street, until she was mostly out of site. Then I walked into the bookstore she had just left. I looked around and noted that it looked very much like someplace she would frequent. Old books, new books, all stuffed where ever they could fit. The shelves were bursting, and some even creaked as old wood does when too much strain is placed upon them. Books were piled on the floor near the shelves, around the counter, and along the walls that were hidden by more shelves. It was horribly lit, making everything seem more mysterious than a normal Muggle bookshop should be. There were lamps here and there, and a very dim over head light, but the tall shelves stopped most of the light from circulating.

I ignored the little old man sitting at the counter. He was staring at me peculiarly, and had yet to welcome me or see if I needed any assistance. Not that I did, but it was odd. Instead, I walked down a few of the isles, noting some of the titles. _Toads, Slime, and Men; How the Bird Crowed; Three Stars and a Cat. _The titles continued on like that. I had never heard of a single book I passed. Not one. The next isle was no different. I began to wonder at Hermione Granger ever being in such a place. At first glance, it was cozy. At second, it was creepy. Not someplace a young woman would shop, I thought.

I picked up a book, at random, off one of the piles. It was rather light weight for a book of its size. I opened it to the middle and began to read.

"_I realized that I had stumbled upon something interesting; but I was half-initiated before the word, "Wicca" which they used, hit me like a thunderbolt, and I knew where I was, and that the Old Religion still existed. And so I found myself in the Circle, and there took the usual oath of secrecy, which bound me not to reveal certain things." _

I paused after reading that. I closed the book and looked at the title The Meaning of Witchcraft, it read. It was printed in a golden scroll on a dark green cover. It looked very old, and I turned it over in my hands. There was no price anywhere that I could find. Intrigued, I left the isle and walked to the counter where the old man sat, filling out a Muggle cross word puzzle. I stood there a moment, but he did not look up. Instead, he continued to fill in the little squares and scratch his balding head. I cleared my throat, but he only shifted his glasses further up his crooked nose.

"Excuse me," I began trying not to be harsh. Even if he was ignoring me, he was an old man, probably blind. However, he still did not look up.

"Excuse me, I was wondering how-"

" 'S not for sale." The little man croaked out.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said 's not for sale, sir. Now we are closing for lunch in a minute, if you don't mind-"

He spoke to me as if I was the one ignoring him, and telling him to leave the shop.

"Look here-"

"Every thing all right, Grandpa?" I turned my head to the intruder. He was young, perhaps 20, maybe a little older. He had dark hair, and an unattractive subtle on his cheek. He looked at me unfriendly.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, I was looking to purchase this book-" I held up the book, trying to control my temper, thinking maybe the young man would be reasonable.

"I'm sorry, sir. It's not for sale."

"How can you have a book store and not sell a book?" I bit out, losing my patience.

"We do sell books, just not that one." He eyed me and squinted slightly. Realization suddenly dawned on me. I walked over and picked up another book.

"How about this one?"

The two men paused and looked at each other. The young man spoke up. "That one isn't for sale, either. Sorry."

"I see…" I set both books down on the counter. "And could you point a book out that is for sale?" Anger dripped off my tongue.

The young man sighed. "I'm sorry sir, but we are closing for lunch, so if you wouldn't mind-" He left off.

"Are you refusing me business?" I felt my lip curl, and my fingers twitch, wanting to reach for my wand.

He eyed me again, and met my gaze challengingly. "No sir, we just don't have any books for sale at present."

I started seeing little white dots in my vision. I was hardly breathing I was so enraged. I bit my cheek, in an attempt to cool my temper. It was best if I didn't reveal my magical fury to two Muggles. "Perhaps I shall check back later." I hissed through my teeth.

"Yes, please do." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall behind him, drawing my attention to it. There were quite a few Muggle pictures on it. Some in frames, others taped up. My eyes were immediately drawn to the one closest to the boy. It was of a dark haired girl, who looked a lot like the young man, and Hermione Granger.

I was again startled to see her. Especially with the Muggle girl, posed in a cheerful setting. I didn't know why it seemed so absurd to see her there on the wall of a Muggle book store, but it pricked at my mind. The young man continued to look at me, expecting me to hurry off.

I started toward the door, and had just opened it when an idea struck me. "Who was the young woman who left the shop just before I entered?" If I was going to find her, I needed to know if she was still going by her real name.

The old man looked sharply at the young man, who furrowed his brows. "What woman?"

"The one on that picture." I motioned with my finger behind him.

He glared at me. "My sister?" So she was his sister….

"No, the pretty one." I smirked. Either he was offended at the slight to his sister, or he thought he had some claim to Hermione, because he practically jumped from his place at the wall, and clenched his fists.

"She is no concern of yours, sir. Now please leave." The please was added, most likely, as a benefit to the old man. I smirked again, pleased that I had riled him in return. I left the bookstore, and headed in the direction Hermione had gone. I was determined to find her.

_--_

_A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! Chapters are updated faster at my livejournal, and friends on there get extra chapters that others don't. Add my livejournal quick, because there is going to be a extra chapter added this week! _

_Anyway, I haven't really decided if I want this to be a long story, or a shorter one. I think I'm just gonna write and see where it goes. Reviews are always welcome! And they make me want to post chapters faster…. hint-hint_

_Oh, and the book quote and title given about Wicca, is real. I took the quote off an online source… so if you were intrigued, go check out the title! :D _

_Eloquence _

_DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, I hardly own the plot. _


	3. Cafe

It took close to a week to track her down. A week of listening in bookshops, grocery marts, and other places I was sure she would frequent. A week of charming myself to look like any other unimportant, unnoticeable Muggle. A week of listening for any mention of Hermione Granger or Hermione anyone. A week of watching for her to walk back to the bookstore with the young man and his odd store. A week of no Hermione. It drove me nearly wild.

Finally, however, my forced endurance was paid off. She looked slightly altered since I last saw her. A little more cautious, a little more drawn. There were dark circles under her eyes, from a lack of sleep, no doubt. Her hair was in a frizzy braid and she clutched her jacket pocket a little tighter.

I watched her look around the slightly busy street before tightening her scarf and heading inside the book store. She wasn't the only one either. Soon after, two men in jackets and jeans and hats walked in. They too, glanced around. It seemed odd to me, because all week, perhaps three people in total had gone inside the store. Even odder still, another woman with long blond hair and glasses followed suit. She was even stranger than the store itself, with her springy step and her mismatched, patched up clothing. She turned rather suddenly, and looked straight at me and smiled. She had bright red lipstick, and her eyes were black. I could almost see them sparkle from where I sat.

Luckily there was a little café across the street and to the left of the bookshop, so to most, I appeared to be a new regular, and not someone simply watching a store no one really went in.

"More coffee, Mr. Snipe?" a girl with dark hair and Muggle piercings asked. I held my cup up, and she filled it. I would never understand the need to pierce the body with needles and hooks and jewels. But, she understood my need to be left alone, and did so. She only asked about my life once, and a sharp look sent her chuckling back behind the counter with bagels and sweet cakes.

"How goes the sightseeing?" she asked. I looked up at her, and narrowed my eyes.

"Oh don't worry, Mr. Snipe, your secret is safe with me. She is rather pretty, and sweet."

"Who?" I asked, taking a drink of the scalding black coffee, pretending ignorance.

"Her." She looked behind me and moved her eyebrows in an upward motion. I turned to look, and watched Hermione head toward the café. My breath caught, and I gripped the white cup tightly.

The girl with raven hair walked back behind the counter and set the coffee back. She then busied herself with something that I didn't care to know. Hermione was walking in the door and I could think of nothing else. The doorbell chimed, and a couple people looked up from their morning coffees and scones, but dismissed her and went back to their eating.

Hermione walked up to the raven haired girl, and leaned on the counter.

"Hey Beth," she said. It was the first time I heard her speak in years. The words were so insignificant, yet they stirred my heart and other parts of my body that had not been truly stirred in a long while.

"Hey, Jane! What'll it be? Wait! Let me guess…." The girl I now knew as Beth touched her forehead and wobbled a bit, obviously pretending that she was a fortune teller. Pitiful, I thought.

"You want…." She paused dramatically and fluttered her eyelids. "An extra tall sweet tea, little ice, a raisin bagel with crème cheese and a small, caramel cake for your late night urges." The last part she added in a seductive tone, and I found myself swallowing hard at the thought of Hermione's late night urges. A shudder ran through me at the notion of satisfying those urges for her.

I was brought out of my erotic thoughts when Hermione laughed. "Ha! You know me too well, Beth. But no, I am going to skip out on the caramel cake." She looked at the glass display longingly. I felt myself drawn in; needing to know why she would skip something if it brought her any pleasure.

Beth mockingly put a hand to her chest and gasped. "No caramel cake? No caramel cake, you say? By Heavens, Jane! Quick, sir-"she looked at the man in the booth in front of me. "Look and see if there are any pigs flying about out there!"

The man in question looked up from his paper and glanced at Beth and then continued on with the paper.

Beth rolled her eyes and muttered, loud enough for Hermione and the tables close to hear, "These people are just no fun. But seriously, are you sure about the caramel cake?"

"If I say yes, are you going to cause another scene?" Hermione returned archly.

"Cross my heart, hope to die."

"No needle this time? I am not sure I believe you then."

"Sorry, 's the best I can do. We are fresh out of needles."

"Fine, just the tea and bagel, please. And can I get some extra-"

"Crème cheese, I know."

They both laughed and I was struck my how normal the whole thing seemed. Hermione seemed to fit right in amongst the Muggles and their little oddities. Crossed my heart, hope to die? Hmph.

Before I could quite grasp what was happening, Hermione was out of the café and halfway across the street, holding a small brown paper bag and a tea.

Beth walked back over, with more coffee. She held it up in question, and I nodded and held the half full cup to her. "You know," she began," I think it's cute that you come in here and watch her, but it is kind of creepy too. Perhaps you should just ask for her number or something."

I just looked at her, and back to the bookshop where Hermione had disappeared.

" I mean, I know her pretty well, I mean, as well as any one can from selling them tea and bagels for months on end. But I could ask her for her number for you, or set you two up-" She left off and shrugged. "Or you can continue to sit here and stare at her all creepy like that." She frowned.

"Miss- ah…" I started as she started to walk away. She turned around.

"Beth, call me Beth."

"Yes, well Beth, erm… I would appreciate it if you didn't tell her about me." Beth smiled, and crossed her heart with her finger.

"For that, you get a needle in the eye."

I sat there for a little while longer, wondering what Hermione was doing in such a place as that bookstore. I drank my coffee and thought over the events that had just taken place. I didn't find out a lot, but enough for now. Enough to help me search later. Now I knew Hermione Granger had taken up her middle name as an alias. It made me wonder, not for the first time, what she was doing in the middle of Muggle America.

--

_A/N:_

_Welp, here is the next chapter! To all that reviewed, thank you! _

_More coming soon….._

_But first, my livejournal (link on my profile page) is updated a lot faster than this! So if you want faster updates…. Go there!! And I just want to let everyone know, that if you want to read the "friend locked" chapters, then you need to add me as a friend on there, and I will return the favor. You really need to do this, because I have decided to have an entire subplot for this story posted under that lock!! :D Its going to be more about Hermione and that "young man" that still remains unnamed ….. ooooo! _

_Thanks again! _

_Oh and I am looking for a good beta! If you are tough, and actually can help me improve my writing, then either email me (link on profile) or private message me or what ever._

_Also, if you want to chat just private message me or email me! I love talking to strangers!! :D 3 _

_Have a wonderful dayyyyyyy_

_Eloquence _


	4. Beth

The next day I found myself back in the red booth that enabled me to watch the store. I didn't need to go there again, today, but I couldn't quite stop myself. I am a habit former, you see. But it didn't matter really anyway. No one entered the book shop that day. The sign in the window was still flipped to "open," but I couldn't see anyone in the windows. But they were slightly tinted, and the showcases and dim lights prevented me from really being able to tell.

I waited at the café, reading uninteresting Muggle news and drinking uncountable cups of coffee, for a while, mostly undisturbed. After a few hours, however, Beth seemed to think I needed some bothering.

She slid into the booth across from me and slouched down, sighing heavily. I knew from previous encounters, that it was best to deal with her up front, rather than try and ignore her. She tended only to get worse, much like a child.

I lowered my paper and raised an eyebrow at her. "May I help you?"

She smiled at me and put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. "Well, Mr. Snipe, I find myself rather bored, and since you are the only customer that provides me some amusement, I thought I would try and coax you out of this little newspaper-reading-street-watching-don't-talk-to-anyone bubble you have put yourself in."

"Ah." I flipped the paper back up, hoping she would take the hint and leave. She did no such thing, however. Instead, she flicked the back of the paper, making it crinkle in a way that hindered the reader from reading.

"It gets annoying when you ignore me." She said, slightly huffy.

"It gets annoying when you pester me." I returned.

"I wouldn't pester you so much if you opened up sometimes and talked to me."

"I have talked to you. Just a few minutes ago, I ordered another cup of coffee."

She eyed me through half closed lids. "You know what I think?"

"Probably something uninteresting and dull."

She continued on as if I hadn't spoken. "I think you're an undercover cop."

I snorted. She warmed to her idea.

"Yeah, that or like some kind of FBI agent or something. You fit the profile."

I couldn't help it, I was drawn in. "What profile?"

"Day after day coming in here, ordering the same thing over and over. Never really saying anything, never really making eye contact with anyone. And you always watch that store." She pointed to the book shop. "Sounds like an agent to me. What ya investigating? Did they kill someone?"

I lifted my eyebrow again, but didn't say anything.

"Or are they like some kind of underground mob? I mean that would make sense…"She laughed. "More sense then them being a bunch of crystal worshipers." She laughed again.

"What do you mean?" I felt my neck prickle. It came with years of being a double agent to be able to sense when something might be helpful or be of use.

"Well, I don't know. That place never has anyone in it, not really. Usually it's the same people in there all the time. That blond lady, she is _always_ there and the brothers. Well I guess they are brothers- that's what Jane said when I asked about the one with red hair. He is really good looking, not that the other one isn't- its just I prefer- oops, sorry." She chuckled but thankfully cut off when she noticed my lack of interest.

"But anyway, they like…"She paused, searching for the right word. "congregate? Like once a month they all are there. Jane usually is there, but lately I haven't seen her around much. And sometimes there are a few others, but Jane is the only one-"

"Normal?" I supplied.

"Well yeah. I mean a few weeks ago, there was this guy that really looked like a bird. Long black hair, _huge_ nose, and like the darkest eyes I have ever seen. He looked like a really angry sort of fellow."

Obviously she was talking about me. But I was used to slights against my appearance, so I let it go. "Well what do you think goes on in there?"

She rolled her eyes. "For a secret agent, you certainly are uninformed. But I thought they were just a bunch of freaks for a while," I wondered what a girl with holes in her face was doing judging others for freaks.

"But then I asked Jane what they did in there and she said that they were a reading group. They all read the same book and then go in and discuss it. Kind of lame and anti-climatic, if you ask me. But you being here has given me hope that they really are up to no good."

"I don't know that they are doing anything that would be considered no good." I said, taking the last sip of coffee out of that cup.

"A girl can only hope, Mr. Snipe." She got up and went to fetch the coffee pot.

"Beth?" I called. She popped her head up and looked rather shocked that I had remembered her name.

"I'll take an iced tea." She looked even more shocked at my change in order. Then she smirked.

"Well would you looky there! Mr. Secret Agent stepping out and making himself less invisible and being unpredictable. I'm proud." She said with a smile.

I rolled my eyes, but glanced back out the window. Then added quickly, "To go, please."

_Eeeek.I can't believe I am so far behind on writing!! Ugh. I was camping all week, and then I just got stuck. Same with "Collide" But I am (slowly) writing the next chapter for that. _

_Anyway, I got a kind of nasty review the other day on this story. Apparently, some people don't like being out of the loop. Idk, I offer faster updates and hidden locked chapters for my friends on my livejournal account. And it made this person mad enough to stop reading this story. And then I thought well what if others are put off by this, but just won't tell me? So just for everyone out there, let me please explain why I do that:_

_I think people who take the time to befriend me and get to know me other than just a pen name, deserve a little bit of a treat. If my friends that I actually hang out with ask me to write them a certain story or tell them one, I do. And so this is like the equivalent of that for my internet fanfic friends. _

_To get traffic at my livejournal. I love meeting new people and making friends. So I figure if people get to see the me that isn't just the penname, then they can relate to me more. Which usually means more reviews :P Which we all know that I am a review whore. : _

_Does that make sense? I am sorry if this aggravates anyone else. _

_Anyway, now that that's out of the way, on to uploading this thing! :D _

_This review junkie needs her fix…. :P_

_Eloquence _


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